First Play: Jay Malinowski & the Deadcoast, Martel

Jay Malinowski is on a musical journey — figuratively and literally. While studying at Queen's University in Ontario, Malinowski met Eon Sinclair. Together they formed Bedouin Soundclash in 2001, releasing their first album, Root Fire, that same year. Bedouin Soundclash's fusion of reggae, ska, rock and punk lent itself to the early '00s; it was music influenced by the converging cultures of first- and second-generation Canadians. The group's 2004 album, Sounding a Mosaic, featured the band's breakthrough single, "When the Night Feels My Song."

Ten years, some albums, side projects and heartbreak later, Malinowski's new album, Martel, unveils the bi-coastal singer's grown-up side. Martel is a double concept album in which Malinowski explores the lives of his relatives on both the east and west coasts — ﻿one disc is called "Pacific;" the other "Atlantic." The album's songs are based on the real and imagined life of Charles Martel, Malinowski's ancestor. Martel was inspired by Malinowski's own travels to Europe and his family's history in France.

"Before my grandfather passed, he mapped our family lineage in detail, in old books," says Malinowski.﻿ "That's where I found Charles's story, and these patterns of displacement that resonated in me deeply. The Martels after Charles became sailors, privateers and pirates for the most part. It was a dislocation I felt deeply, having been continuously travelling for all my life."

The result is a soulful, accessible piece of work that transcends genre and speaks to the experience of living with a Canadian past.﻿

Jay Malinowski and CBC Music collaborated in an exclusive performance of songs from Martel. Check out the beautiful results below.